To begin a more systematic approach to your cycling training you will need to document your daily, weekly and monthly workouts. Keeping a diary will help you develop a structured plan that is progressive and realistic. The basics required are: a training calendar, a training diary (a date book with room to make additional notes), a training plan, discipline, and commitment.

Download the monthly training calendar here. Every day after your workout, enter the data into your training calendar. The details you want to include are basic statistics including distance, duration, ride type, terrain type, and quality of the workout.

A training diary (also called a training log), can be made from any notebook by keeping a chronological order to your entries. Your training diary should include additional details from the training calendar like weather, weight, resting heart rate, general feelings about the ride, specific ride/race details (what was the best gear choice or where you should start your sprint), nutritional intake and sleep patterns.

Your training plan can be formulated from the Team Swift monthly News and Updates in the coaching plan section. Given your age, riding level, racing category and commitments to other sports, you will most likely need to make some adjustments to create your own personal training plan. Print out two calendars for each month. Fill one in with your personal training plan. Include all types of exercise (gym, swimming, running, basketball, stretching etc). Also include all scheduled rides or races you will be participating in all month (team rides, mountain bike rides, and races). You can see in the monthly training what types of workouts should be included for the season including how many rest days and recovery rides. Workout terminology you can use to describe your training is available in the monthly team updates.

Weekly Example of your Calendar and Training Diary Entries

Monday

Calendar Entry: Rest Day. No riding. 30’ of stretching and sit-ups.

Diary Entry: Cleaned my bike so it is ready to ride Tuesday. I was tired from the races this weekend and had lost 2 lbs. I felt much better after taking a nap and eating some extra pasta.

Tuesday

Calendar Entry: 2 hrs. Sprint workout with 2 sets of 5×20” sprints. Felt good

Every sprint was over 175 heart beats!

Diary Entry: Warmed up for over 40 minutes before starting the first set of sprints which was into a strong headwind. The second set of sprints into a tailwind went really well. The chain was dry so I put on some oil after the ride.

Wednesday

Calendar Entry: Endurance Ride. 3.5 hrs with 2 long climbs (Sonoma Mountain & Cavedale Rd). Steady pace.

Diary Entry: Felt a little dehydrated after the ride. It was warmer out today ~88 degrees. After the workout I had two servings of drink replacement mix. I had a hard time going to sleep and resting HR was elevated.

Thursday

Calendar Entry: 1 hr. Recovery Ride. Very easy. Stretched afterward.

Friday

Calendar Entry: Pre-Race Ride. 1.5 hrs with 1 x 1’ pyramid sprints. Felt great!

Saturday

Calendar Entry: Cherry Pie Criterium. Warmed up with 1×1’ pyramid sprints and cooled down for 30’. 2.5 hrs total. 1ST Place!!!

Diary Entry: Perfect weather, raced the 13-14 juniors race and then 1 hr later the Sr. Cat 4 race. Won the junior race and finished in mid pack of the Senior race. Be sure to have a 23 gear in the back and start the sprint right at the base of the climb.

Sunday

Calendar Entry: 3 hrs. Team Swift All Team Ride. Mostly steady riding with one hard climb.

Diary Entry: Climbed Marshall Wall and worked on Pace lines. Gears needed minor adjusting. Had fun sprinting my teammates for the city limit sprint!

Weekly Totals

  • Total Riding Hours: ________
  • Total Racing Hours: ________
  • Weight: ________
  • Total Hours of Other Exercise: ________